'Weapons' Leads Box Office as 'Nobody 2' Debuts Strong

Box Office Breakdown: A Strong Debut and Competitive Weekend

The horror film "Weapons" made a powerful entrance at the box office, securing the top spot in its opening weekend and maintaining that position during its second week. It outperformed "Freakier Friday" and the new release "Nobody 2." The film, directed by Zach Cregger, grossed $25 million across 3,450 North American theaters, marking a 43% decline from its first weekend. Despite this drop, the movie's success was driven by positive audience reviews and viral social media trends, which helped attract large audiences.

"Freakier Friday," which had a double premiere, remained in second place with $14.5 million in domestic earnings. According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, the films' continued success came during a slower box office weekend. Both movies managed to hold their ground against other releases, including "Nobody 2," an R-rated action sequel starring Bob Odenkirk. The film earned $9.25 million across 3,260 North American theaters in its debut weekend.

Dergarabedian noted that the box office performance of recent films is being compared to last year’s strong summer, when movies like "Deadpool and Wolverine" and the horror sci-fi "Alien: Romulus" saw significant success. He pointed out that this summer is unlikely to reach the $4 billion benchmark but has offered moviegoers a diverse and dynamic selection of films.

"I can’t find a genre that’s not represented or a demographic that wouldn’t be attracted to one of these films out there," Dergarabedian said. "It’s just that eclectic mix of films with appeal to every demographic."

"Nobody 2" follows the pandemic-era success of the original "Nobody," released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, played by Odenkirk, returns as an assassin who has turned into a nice guy. The film features a family vacation that takes a dangerous turn as Mansell uncovers corruption in the town he visits. Jim Orr, president of domestic distributions at Universal Pictures, expressed hope that the movie’s strong audience reaction scores — an 89% Audience score and B+ CinemaScore — indicate a long and successful run at the box office.

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" took the fourth spot in its fourth weekend, earning $8.8 million domestically. The film faced challenges after its initial strong debut of $118 million. Another sequel, "The Bad Guys 2," ranked fifth with $7.5 million during its third weekend in theaters.

Notably, international films made a significant impact in the top 15 this weekend. An Indian action thriller titled "Coolie" debuted domestically and secured the 10th spot, followed by "War 2," another Indian action movie, at No. 11. The domestic re-release of "Shin Godzilla," a Japanese film that originally premiered in 2016, came in at the 12th spot.

Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office

With final domestic figures set to be released on Monday, the following list includes estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. "Weapons" – $25 million
2. "Freakier Friday" – $14.5 million
3. "Nobody 2" – $9.25 million
4. "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" – $8.8 million
5. "The Bad Guys 2" – $7.5 million
6. "Superman" – $5.3 million
7. "The Naked Gun" – $4.8 million
8. "Jurassic World Rebirth" – $2.9 million
9. "F1: The Movie" – $2.6 million
10. "Coolie" – $2.4 million